Chances and Mistakes
by N.D. Stark
Summary: Some people take chances. Some people make mistakes. It doesn't always end well for everyone. (AU, cannon pairings. Major character death. T for blood and violence. 1 chapter per character)) Chapter 1: Soldier Boy(Avengers),Chapter 2: Unnoticeable(Spider-man), Chapter 3: I Saved You (X-men) Chapter 4: Flicker (Fantastic 4) Chapter 5: Brave (Guardians of the Galaxy) [More coming!]
1. Soldier Boy

**_Some people take chances. Some people make mistakes. It doesn't always end well for everyone._**

**"Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all." -William Goldman**

**Chapter 1: Soldier Boy**

* * *

Steve Rogers could hear the sound of birds chirping. He saw a crystal blue sky. He saw a forest to his left and he was laying in a field of daisies. He'd given Peggy a daisy the day before he was frozen.

He wondered why it had to end like this, though it was better than he could have hoped for. He had thought he would leave in a bed with someone holding his hand. Or at worst being injured and leaving alone. He felt like nothing really, but he was grateful. The one possession he had lived under the ice for years with was cast to the side, to far for him to reach.

He pondered what it would be like to leave. If there would be a bright light or just a fade to black, or maybe both. Maybe it would end up like Harry Potter, were he had the choice.

Would people miss him? He wondered, again letting himself look at the sky. It was cloudless. It had been a while since he'd seen a cloudless sky.

He wondered what would happen. What the farewell party would look like. What songs they would play. What people would say. How many people would come. Would his friends be there? Clint, Natasha, Tony, Bruce? Would Thor be busy? Would he take the time to come?

For a second he pondered some things. Worthless things, but he pondered them anyway.  
Did he really want to leave now?

Honestly, no. He had so much to do, so much more time to spend with his friends. No, his family.

Would him and Natasha have had a baby? If it was a girl, he would name her Daisy.

Steve liked daisy's.

They daisy's he was lying on were red.

He thought about how he got here. He remembered running, saying something as everyone split up. He remembered fighting someone, for quite a while. At least he thought. He remembered thinking about winning, because he was winning, and he did win. But as he turned around he felt something sharp go right through his heart. Not like his heart breaking when Peggy left. No. And then he thought of flowers.

After a while he saw the something big and green come out of the forest. It tromped over to him, stopping and leaning over. The look on his face was confused.  
"Spangled man... okay?" The beast asked, plopping down next to him.

Steve didn't say anything. He just smiled. A sad smile, the kind he would have usually hated.

"Steve? Steve, oh Steve, please be ok." Natasha whispered, leaning down and grasping his hand.  
"It's ok Nat." He said softly.  
She shook her head, whispering something about being lone, and not wanting to be.

The three sat in silence for a long time.  
"I'll miss you, Soldier Boy." Natasha said.

He just looked into her emerald eyes, taking in every detail. After a while everyone was there. He looked at everyone, before taking a deep, empty breath.  
"I'm sorry."

Steve Rogers closed his eyes, and saw white.


	2. Unnoticeable

**_Some people take chances. Some people make mistakes. It doesn't always end well for everyone._**

**"No matter how much hatred is boiled inside, no matter how many people while stand at your side; you always end up dying inside." - Elli Dumont**

**Chapter 2: Unnoticeable**

* * *

Taking chances was something Peter did on a daily basis. He took chances stopping crimes, saving lives, ending the threats of supervillians.  
Now it was almost instinct to take chances.

The guy was running through that worn down warehouse, his idol. Captain America. he would have usually been so proud, so happy, and excited.  
Not this time.

He felt that urge that sang _danger _in his mind, and he knew what was going to happen. Before he knew it he was jumping, in one fluid motion from that rooftop and down to the floor. He would catch himself. Someone would. Even if it was the worst chance he'd taken, someone would be there.

He could hear the bullet exit the barrel before the sound even echoed through that lonely building.

_Crack_

He tumbled to the ground. It was roaring, a fiery burning sensation. He felt the slick red liquid roll down his side as he lay on the floor.  
No one was there.

He was alone, on that floor, with only the scraps and boards for company. He could hear the footsteps of those heavy red boots fading away.  
No, no, no. He couldn't die alone. He couldn't. He must have noticed, he had to.

Then a dawning realization arose.  
He was alone.  
He was unnoticeable.  
He was hated.  
No one cared.  
No one cared.  
No one_ cared_.

He drew in a shaky breath, his chest heaving.  
_Captain America _hasn't noticed him take that _bullet _aimed straight _at him_.

What would Mary-Jane do? What would Aunt May do? Johnny? Bobbi?

He felt numb.  
No one cared anyway.

He was so tired, so sick of being unnoticeable. He was yelled at by news reporters every day. The people usually just jeered and threw something or catcalled. No one cared anyway.

He felt light all of the sudden.

Something was missing. He felt cold, empty. He felt like he was dying.

He was dying.

He closed his eyes, to tired to move.

He was alone.  
He was unnoticeable.  
He was hated.  
No one cared.  
No one cared.  
No one cared.

He was alone.

He could hear voices now. The voices of everyone who had died because of him.  
He could let go.

No one cared, anyway.

So he did. He let go.

And he faded away, like he promised not to that one day on his lover's fire escape. He could see her now. His _true _love, telling him to come home with open arms.

So he did.

He went home.

And faded away.


	3. I Saved You

_**Some people take chances. Some people make mistakes. It doesn't always end well for everyone**. _

**"Sometimes taking a chance for someone is the best you can do." - Hillary Mitchell**

**Chapter 3: I Saved You**

* * *

It was almost too perfect, that set up. There on the beach, she was fighting him, and then she stopped. And he made the move. But the man who called himself Nightcrawler couldn't let that man win.

He could do amazing things. Disappear and reappear were he wanted. He wanted to stop that man. So he appeared, right as he was about to win.

It tore a hole through him.

That man was gone now. That man lost. Nightcrawler knew it. He was proud.

He could hear the waves on the sandy shoreline and he could feel the wind swirl through his curly jet black hair as he lay on the golden sand. It was beautiful. The ocean was blue and the sky was orange. His yellow eyes could see it all. He breathed slowly, letting the salty air filter in.

He didn't mind.  
No, he didn't mind.

"I saved you." He whispered, almost inaudibly.  
She didn't answer.  
"I saved you." He said again.

He felt the cooling water lapping at his feet. He felt the wind die down to a breeze.  
The sand beneath him was turning red.

"Why?" She asked finally. "I could... I could do it myself."  
"I had to save you."  
"Yeah, you did."

The looked at the sea for a short time before he said, "Now I won't - I won't be... be a monster anymore."  
"You never were..." The girl shuttered, tears falling down her cheeks as she combed his hair with her hand.

Nightcrawler huffed, feeling his heart slowing.  
"I saved you." He whispered again, his breath shuttering.  
"No. NO, no, no!" She cried. "Don't leave now! Please..."

"I saved you." He breathed.

He went still, his golden irises gazing out over the amber colored ocean as the sun sank beneath the waves.  
She held him for a while. The team arrived. They were shocked at the sight.

And when they finally all wept until they could no more, she closed his eyes.


	4. Flicker

_Some people take chances. Some people make mistakes. It doesn't always end well for everyone. _

**"Saving someone else is an action of valor." Chase Burdock**

**Chapter 4: Flicker**

* * *

Johnny knew he was a lucky person.  
Even if an accident happened, or some big battle took place, he always got out on the good end.

He had always wondered why people had thought of him as selfish. He was hardly that, as a matter of fact.  
It took time to prove it.  
"Go!" He'd told them. He'd wanted them to get out of that place before they got stuck.

He was afraid. He would admit that often.

He tried to be brave. He was the Human Torch, after all.  
He had stood in front of that force field as they left. His niece, she'd been frightened. She'd been calling his name, banging on the walls and trying to get him to come, even if it was too late.  
"I'll hold them off." He'd said.

He looked at the darkening sky, all of the monsters swirling in it hungrily.

He was afraid.  
And that was okay.  
Ben had told him once that it was okay to be afraid. It proved that he was in fact, brave.

He held up a hand before turning around, while Ben and his niece watched. They seemed surprised. Afraid. It was okay to be afraid.

He flew into the cold still air, closing his yes. He let out a shout. A battle cry.

It all flashed before his eyes, his sister; Susan, Reed, Ben, Peter and Bobbi.

He could save them. He could be brave.  
Even if he had only a flicker left in him.

He flew through the air of that capsule in space, pummeling through those things like no tomorrow. The swarmed him.

He fell.

He flickered.  
He was afraid.

That was okay.


	5. Brave

_**Sometimes people take chances. Sometimes people make mistakes. It doesn't always end well. **_

**"Courage is the discovery that you may not win. And trying when you know you can lose." -Anonymous**

**Chapter 5: Brave**

* * *

Sam Alexander was shy, doubtful.

He'd seen cosmos and never thought much of it. Not after the first time he'd seen so many stars. He had pushed so hard. He'd fought a war. He was tired.

He had let his guard down.

He fell to the rubble, hardly noticing when Gamora - she was like a mother to him - mowed down the enemy lines to get to him.  
"I'm sorry." he choked. "I was so stupid..."  
"No, no. It was brave."  
"Brave?"  
"Yes."

He'd never been told he was brave before. He felt himself choking as he tried to breathe.  
"I'm sorry." He whispered, gasping as he tried to breathe.  
"Shhh, shhh, shh. Just look at the stars." Gamora said quietly. "That's all you need to think about."

He nodded, the his chest heaving.  
"All you need to think about is that up there." She kneeled beside him. She tried not to show her sadness. She tried to hold back her tears.

"See it, isn't it beautiful?" She whispered.  
He nodded slowly.

It was all happening so fast, he had no time to realize it.  
"Just look at the stars, baby. That's all you need to think about. Just look at the stars and think you're flying..." Her voice shattered.

He looked up at those stars. He imagined he was gilding through those cosmos he never thought much about.  
"Just think about the stars." She said at last through pursed lips.

His chest heaved slowly, the air filtering too slowly. Not in time.

He stopped and stared.  
"I can see them." He said. "I... I can..."

His voice faltered. His hazel irises gazed at the stars, and his eyelids fluttered as he tried to shut them. Those stars were the last thing he saw.


End file.
